


Author's Commentary: When They Found Each Other of Different Worlds

by atsuyuri_sama



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Author Commentary, Developing Relationship, F/M, Humor, Kid Fic, MST Commentary, My First Multichapter Fic, Time Travel, if you can call it that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-15
Updated: 2013-04-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 14:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/762140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atsuyuri_sama/pseuds/atsuyuri_sama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Kagome as a child meets with a young Sesshomaru. Circumstance, Naraku, and family intervine." That, and the author seven years later throws in all kinds of commentary for your reading pleasure.</p><p>(This is an old fic, but the commentary is new. A serious re-write is in progress, though not yet posted. I originally thought this was a multi-chapter fic, but years later, I look at it - it's too short to divide into 8 chapters. For your convenience, it's uploaded as a one-shot. It's all kinds of confusing, and mostly a satirical MST. Read at your own risk.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Author's Commentary: When They Found Each Other of Different Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I do not own Inuyahsa.

When They Found Each Other Of Different Worlds **[I wanted a memorable title. I didn't even realize that 'each other' was two words until I was re-writing the story, and actually turned my spell-check on... I was hopeless.]**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, 'cause if I did neither of the inu brothers would be such jerks! **[ETA 7/15/13 by atsuyuri_sama - Oh God, I was so desperate to be funny! I don't think I grasped the concept of 'drama'... That's what I was trying to write, but then I stuck this in here?]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Chapter 1 up.Yah!;D **[I had just discovered emoticons... can you tell? No? You will by the final author's note...]**  
Kagome: The entire story is in my POV? Gee thanks, 0.o!  
atsuyuri_sama: No prob, Kags! That's what friends are for:) Oh, and for future reference, I don't post the reviews up on my chapies. T.T Sorry, I'm just lazy that way ,'D If ya want, gimme reviews, but all of them will be read by my eyes only. Through constructive reviews, I will make my work better, and nothing else. Sorry! This is the only time I will say this in this story, so keep it in mind. Thanks for any reviews!-blink, blink-... I just made a speech, didn't I? Yay me:D **[Again, inordinately pleased with myself... At this point, I was probably just glad to have filled a couple lines' worth of text. "The author's notes** _ **are too**_ **part of the story!"]**  
atsuyuri_sama: I altered all the chapters in one way or anther on April 27, 2007, though mostly just correcting my name because I changed it from o.0AnimeFanficFanGirl0.o…It'll never get this long again, I promise! Now, really this time: On with the story! **[I had an issue with the name I had, and now I can't recall it. I look back and wonder why.]**

Chapter One - To Know One And Other KAGOME POV (the entire story)- SEVEN YEARS OF AGE **[I didn't know how to use bold or italics (don't ask, I don't even know), and I wanted to be** _ **sure**_ **everyone knew where I was coming from. That's one thing I havn't out-grown - I still try way too hard.]**

AGAIN...! Souta, my one year old brother, was awake, and crying loudly, AGAIN, which he had been doing for four nights straight! This was getting annoying! I decided to go outside, even though it was around one in the morning. **[a seven year old?]**

I was an expert at sneaking out, because I loved to go to the old well house, and sit on the well rim to look out the hole in the roof to the sky. It always seemed so peaceful. I had to sneak out because my crazy, and old (yet quite lovable) Grandfather, Gramps, seemed to think that demons roamed the well house, looking for people to posses.

I just think he's crazy.

Tonight seemed different **[of course it did, honey - it's called 'digging for plot']** , though, at first, I couldn't put my finger on it; and then I got it: Mom and Gramps were in Souta's room tonight, and so I could get away easier, because the way to the back door passes their rooms but not Souta's, and Mom could hear creeping footsteps like a hawk! **[oh God, this was one whole sentence! I'm crying right now! Somebody save me!]**

I got into the well house, and just as I closed and locked the door behind me, I turned around to see a small shadow fly into the well. I thought to myself, 'Must be a bird...' and walked over to the edge of the well to take a closer look. I rolled my eyes as I had seen Mom do so many times as I discovered that the well was too deep to see all the way into. So I did the only thing that seemed logical to me...

I jumped in. Wow... I didn't know that these lights were down here, and where are the light bulbs for them? The next thing I knew, there was a sharp pain in my ankle as I landed on the bottom. “Ouch! Hey, up there! Is there anyone who can hear me? Hey!” **[it's drama! I think this was the best I could come up with. What, not even unconsciousness?]** Suddenly the opening to the well was blocked a little by someone’s shadow, then an agitated boy's voice called down to me, “How did you get down there, Ningen **[oh, right, sorry - forgot to mention: I was one of** _ **those**_ **fans. That's Japanese for 'human', fyi. Wonder how far I took it?]**? And don't you know that I could've very well been an angry demon, come to track you down for waking me from my nap?"

I crossed my arms over my chest in a huff, and replied with an annoyed look on my face, “One, my name isn't 'Ningen', it's Kagome! Say it with me, Ka-Go-Me **[woo, canon reference! I was so proud.]**! And two, if you WERE a blood-thirsty demon (in my head I was thinking, ‘Who is this kid? Everyone knows demons don't exist... Do they...?' **[it was a thing to interject speech with thought?]** ), you wouldn't have bothered to talk to me, you would have just come down and eaten me! So can you help me out, or can't you; I hurt my leg falling down here!" I heard him huff, then he jumped down, picked me up, and jumped out! I was, to say the least, impressed! Then I got a good look at him: He had a head of silver hair; a dark blue crescent moon on his forehead; two horizontal maroon stripes on both cheeks; golden eyes; pointed ears; claws on bare hands and feet, the ones on his hands looking more lethal; fangs in his mouth; and a fluffy thing on his shoulder that quite resembled a whitish-silver tail. I gulped as I realized he WAS a demon. **[I was under the misapprehension that a proper paragraph couldn't contain just one line, for some reason, so I shoved my dialogue in between exposition. I don't know why - I read like it was going out of style... Guess I just didn't pay too much attention.]**

I noted his **['eyes' is missing here. This is why re-reading, or getting a beta-reader, before you post is a good thing]** looking me up and down, taking in my looks of which, just now, I was very self-conscious, from my raven black hair that went down to the small of my back; my curious brown eyes; the splatter of freckles across my nose and cheeks; me, all elbows and knees; down to my slightly twisted right foot. **[for a newbie, I was able to give the reader a sense of Kagome's physical presence from first person pretty well. It took me hours to phrase this, so I didn't feel like (at the time) I was forcing it]**

Then I got the nerve, “My name's Kagome... What's yours?" He looked at me, his head cocked to one side, as he answered, "Sesshomaru. It is obvious that I am a demon, why do you not try to run, or call for help, or even smell all that scared?" I blinked in surprise, then answered, “It is true that you are a demon, but you have shown me no reason to fear you, you even helped me! Unless you give me a reason to fear you, I will refuse to fear you!" As I said this, first there was a look of awe and disbelief, then he stiffened, smelling (smelling! Weird...) the wind, and instantly went on guard just as another demon leapt out of the surrounding forest. **[again, the fear of one-line paragraphs, or dialogue-only paragraphs, strikes. But I was proud of this bit: Sesshomaru sounded sufficiently stuffy]**

"Didn't your mothers' ever teach you not to play in the woods at night? Bigger, stronger demons than you could get you...!" The mysterious demon said with an evil smirk, slowly advancing on us. My eyes got wide as I felt all the color drain from my face in fear, and I backed up into the wall of the well behind me in my attempt to escape. Sesshomaru stepped forward, a deep growl emerging from his throat as he cracked his claws menacingly.

"Who are you? Answer me, you insolent demon!" The newcomer cackled crazily, then said lightly, “My name is Naraku, and who might you two be, dinner-of-mine?" Sesshomaru bristled, “HER name is Kagome, she is a human, not your dinner, and MY name is Sesshomaru, Demon Prince of the Western Lands, ALSO not your dinner!" 'PRINCE Sesshomaru! Prince! I acted like that in the presence of royalty! I'm so stupid! Wait...! Why am I thinking about how I acted, I'm going to be demon dinner in five seconds! Oh, good, sweet Lord, spare my life, and I promise I'll be good forevermore!' Were my frantic thoughts at that moment. Just then Sesshomaru lunged at Naraku... **["were my thoughts"... I was a long way from decent narration. Yuck.]**

For five minutes a fierce battle raged in front of me: Demon vs. Demon/ Battle to the Death Royal! Yikes! A poison claw swipe here, a round-house kick there, and lots of blood everywhere! Oh dear...! Badbadbadbadbadbadbadbadbad... Oh, that's good! badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad... Nice one, Sesshomaru! Kick low! That's the way! badbadbadbadbadbadbadbad... Well, you get the idea. **[Okay. This. I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair just now. I didn't even** _ **try**_ **to write a fight scene, did I? Oh my God!]**

Then Sesshomaru crushed Naraku. As his body melted away, the air echoed with his souls' cry: “I WILL return, you mark my words, I will! You haven't seen the last of me!" I shuddered as Sesshomaru stood there, looking at the charred place where Naraku had been moments before; thank GOD that demon was gone! **[At least I set up the conflict within the first chapter; that's something I struggle with now. I may write more, but that just means it takes me longer to get to the point. I don't want to leave my reader without a sense of danger and conflict so they grow bored, after all... I didn't here, even if it was rather weak. It's a start.]**

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, things would be a little different (evil gleam in eye). **[That's right, younger-me! insert yourself! Emote, emote, write out your expressions!XD ... can you** _ **feel**_ **the sarcasm?]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Chapter 2 on, no more cliffy of last time! Wohho:D  
Kagome: Naraku existed back then?  
atsuyuri_sama: In my story he does (weak, too, huh?), and it'll all piece together in the end, so don't you worry!  
Kagome: K:D On with a tale of the ages! **[that's so cute - look at me trying to boost the edginess of my weak-sauce story!]**

Chapter 2 - To Know the Past **[I was really proud of the fact that all my chapter titles matched - "To Know [insert here]". It took me a few days to settle on a beginning phrase I liked.]**

Sesshomaru turned around to see me sighing with relief, and then wincing as my ankle gave a sharp throb, “Are you okay, Kagome?" I nodded meekly, still scared stiff by the surprise attack. He sighed, “Where is your home, anyway?" "I don't know... I jumped down the well in my house because I thought a bird had fallen in, and the next thing I know, I'm here. Where IS 'here', anyway?" "'Here' has no distinct name, it is just 'the Western Lands', of which my father is Lord and I am Prince. Until we know where your home is, compared to this place, come with me; it's unsafe for a human alone in the woods, especially at night and injured." With that said, he turned around and crouched low to the ground in front of me, saying at the same time, “Seeing as you're hurt, I'll have to carry you, and it's along ways off anyhow for ANY human... Get on, you can't walk like that!" was his (surprisingly, because I thought all demons were vicious) gentle response to me not moving. **[tiny setting, "dialogue" "dialogue" "never-ending-paragraph-of-dailogue" "more dailogue", tiny exposition... Oh God, save me from the literary FAIL! *cries*]**

I inched forward, wincing as I jarred my throbbing ankle, and wrapped my arms around his neck. What I had assumed to be his tail seemed to be because it wrapped around my middle seemingly of its own accord as he stood up slowly, putting his hands behind him to support me even more, and then took off without any warnings at all. I gasped, and then fell into the rhythm after a while as I realized he wouldn't let me fall. I noticed after about two minutes that this was almost like when I was three and Gramps would give me piggy-back rides around the backyard, except Gramps wasn't a demon who could run super fast, and he didn't flash around the trees of a forest with me just like they were little, insignificant twigs on the floor. **[It was good for introducing character background, but I didn't quite grasp the concept of 'only seven years old', did I? She's too observant and focused for that age, especially after just going through the trauma of a demon attack (unless she's a particularly observant child, but I hadn't set her up as that, either)]**

I don't remember exactly when it happened because it was real gradual, but the last thing I remember before falling asleep was we had left the forest behind and had entered a quiet little meadow with a small stream off to one side. After what seemed only to be seconds, but were really hours because the sun had gone from noon(it had become noon when we exited the forest, as to the rising sun it had been when I was still in the well) to about an hour or two before sun set, I heard Sesshomaru calling to me in Dream Land, "Kagome... Kagome, wake up. We're almost there. Wake up, Kagome." I stirred, almost instantly remembering where I was, and looked around to find us in yet another forest, even thicker than the one earlier, forcing Sesshomaru to slow down just a little. Boy, was I confused, “Almost WHERE, Sesshomaru?" "Almost to my home. For now, it's a little camp-site in these woods because the last demon attack on our home turned it into rubble, but I personally like living in the woods; it's so peaceful, when demons after my Father's title aren't attacking us, of course. I think you'll like it, too!" I didn't even have to consider it, “So do I! I've always been an outdoors' type person!" **[I was proud of this, too. I knew that she had to figure out she was in the past and not some weird realm, and I also wanted this to be a family-only bonding experience. So I set this up. It took me days to come up with their excuse for moving from the servant-filled castle to this empty camp, and I was never quite satisfied with the result. I only realized once I started the re-write it was because it was unrealistic to expect a prince and Lord to live without servants in the middle of nowhere, demon or not. What I** _ **wanted**_ **shouldn't have mattered; what the plot** _ **needed**_ **should have instead.]**

Another five minutes or so, and we entered what looked like a natural clearing, natural, that is, except for this ancient **[see, she noticed! hint-hint-past-hint!]** type camp-site smack-dab in the middle of it. I blinked and looked around as Sesshomaru set me down on one of the four logs in front of the fire-pit, which, as of now, was just charred coals. "Immpressive, huh? It's the latest of everything living in the woods related **[even when I wrote this part, I knew it was awkward. I just needed her to understand, and this kept coming out, no matter how hard I tried to re-word it.]**!" As he said this, a demon that looked like an older version of Sesshomaru and a beautiful woman with long black hair who was just beginning to show because she seemed about two months pregnant walked out of the seemingly out-of-place hut/house. The woman blinked as she caught sight of me, and said in the sweetest voice I had ever herd, "Sesshomaru, Dear, who is this?" Sesshomaru blushed, and looked at the ground as he scuffed a spot with his foot sheepishly, and replied, “Well Mother, Father... This is Kagome. I found her at the bottom of a well this morning. She had twisted her foot falling in, and I helped her out. We were attack by a demon, and after I defeated him, I decided she'd be better off with us, at least for awhile, because she didn't know where her home was." **[I don't think I knew what a MarySue was, either. Wow. An indescribably beautiful woman, with a wonderful temperment, a visible pregnancy (and you can tell: two months along? I** _ **did not research!**_ **), and the ability to cow the stoic Sesshomaru with one question? I made Izayoi a MarySue!]**

They looked at me, and his father said to me (quite nicely, too),"Kagome is it (I nodded, "Yessir." **[why, exactly did I feel the need to encase this in parenthesis, I wonder]** )? Is this true?" Then Sesshomaru’s mother looked at him, “Sweetheart, you know Sesshomaru would never lie about something like this!" It was his turn to look sheepish, “Yes, I suppose you're right... Well, Kagome, who ARE you exactly?"

By now, they had taken the log across from mine, while Sesshomaru sat on the log to my left, all eyes on me. Talk about being self-conscious! "Sesshomaru," I began nervously **['nervously' is right: here comes the awkward reveal. I worked this and worked this, and still didn't like it; you would think by now that if I was unsatified with so much of it (as it seemed at the time) that I would have been hit by the clue-stick and tried re-working some of my priorities or the plot-progression or** _ **something]**_ _,_ “I think I know where 'here' is now..." They all blinked in surprise, and Sesshomaru asked me, “Really, Kagome? Where?" I cleared my throat nervously, this was going to sound very strange. “Please don't stop me, 'cause if you do, I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve, thank you... It's not 'where', Sesshomaru, it's 'when'. Looking at this camp, and you saying it's the latest in everything... Well, lets just say the future doesn't quite agree." Either their jaws' dropped, their eyes got wide, or both. “I’ve discovered that I was STILL in my families' well, just... not WHEN in it. (I looked up at the sky as I said this next thing, mostly to myself, praying to God that this was all just a REALLY vivid and REALLY long dream... **[again, why the parenthesis?]** ) Toto, we're still in Kansas, thank God, but, Ladies and Gentlemen, we aren't in the twenty-first century anymore **[this I was proud of. I wanted so desperately to sound witty]**... What year is it? And, I don't know how to get back... so I might be here awhile. Sorry 'bout that."

They all stared at me for a moment, then the woman got her wits about her again first, and became all motherly on me. "Oh, you poor thing! It's the Sengoku Judi Era, otherwise known as the Feudal Era **[Gah! No research!! Why would she know that; she's** _ **living**_ **in that era!]**! You can stay with us for as long as you may! We'll keep you safe! You can call me Isoway **['Izayoi'. I didn't try very hard when researching her name the first time around... this was the first thing I found]** , Dear!" I blushed a deep shade of pink while she fussed over me. Sesshomaru's father interrupted, “Dear, I think you're embarrassing our guest. Now... Kagome, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself." I blinked, then said, “Sure! Umm... I'm seven years old and human. I have a pet cat named Buyo, and I live with my mother and her father, whom I call Gramps. I had gone to my secret place, the well house on my shrine, because my one year old brother, Souta, was crying AGAIN, for the fourth night in a row! The well house is my secret place because, in a time and place where people don't believe in demons, Gramps does. ‘Don’t go NEAR the well house, Kagome!' he tells every time he finds me going in its general direction. ‘It’s full of demented demon souls looking to devour the souls and flesh of living humans, and I can't protect everyone in this family from them all if you release them!' It drives both me and my Mother to the point of insanity sometimes, I think, to be honest. I go there because when I sit on the rim of the well and look up at night, I can see the stars clear as day through the hole in the roof, and it helps me sort out my thoughts. Last night, though, when I went to the well, I saw a shadow dive into the well. I thought it might be a bird or something, and when it didn't come back up or make a sound, I decided to go down the well and get it. Since I had never done this before, I guess, I tripped over the ledge and fell in. That's my story, but... As I was falling in, the well seemed longer than it should have been, and I saw a beautiful purple-pinkish light surround me, and then I hit the bottom. I was unprepared, and I think I twisted my foot..." I looked down at my lap, by blush returning on full. **[why all the blushing? Also - an entire section of conversation in one paragraph again? It burns! Though I remember being proud of myself for explaining Kagome and where she came from. I wonder why I didn't use a possible 'Buyo jumped in the Well' instead of that 'bird' thing? I think it was it because that was too much like episode one, and I didn't want to be cliche]**

Instantly, everyone was up and about, and within five minutes, my foot had been treated, propped up, and within seconds, I had become part of the family. Isoway looked at me, “I’m human, too, dear, and if you ever need to talk, I'm right here!" Then it was Sesshomaru's fathers' turn. “As you well know, I'm Sesshomaru's Father, you can call me Inutaisho(1). I'm a demon, and if ever you get into any trouble with anyone, let me know and I'll be there right away."

1)I don't know his real name, but that's what I'm going to use. **[I was so excited to get to use my first end-note. And I** _ **still**_ **don't know his name... but at least I don't** _ **literally**_ **call him the Dog Demon Lord in the re-write like I did here; Inutaisho is his** _ **title**_ **, younger-me, not his** _ **name.**_ **]**

Disclaimer: Once more, I don't own Inuyasha. Awwww... (U-.-thank goodness she doesn't) **['she'? Was I trying to separate my narrative from my disclaimer?]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Chapter 3 up, people! Now something’s will be explained, I hope.  
Kagome: I wonder what she WOULD do if she owned Inuyasha? Scary thought!-shivers-  
atsuyuri_sama:-fuming- I'll just pretend I didn't hear that...! **[oh, the contrived drama! I laughed over this when I wrote it, thinking it was** _ **so**_ **clever]**

Chapter 3 - To Be Living with Demons

Thanks to their herbs and medicines, I was back on both feet within the week **[maybe forgivable in that we're talking about demonic medicines - who knows what they could do - but in the grand scheme of things, unless it was a _really_  mild sprain, there's no way that ankle woudl have healed in a week. I hated research on _all_ levels, aparently]** , and over time I learned just how hard it was to live in the Feudal Era. I got to learn all kinds of things, and when Inutaisho taught me how to use a bow and arrow, he said I was a natural! **[a~nd enter MarySue number 2! I can't believe it...]**

I helped out around the camp just like everyone else, and at night (if it wasn't raining) we would sit around the campfire and they would tell me about the past, and everything that happens, like they have Priestesses' and Monks', and all types of demons. In return, I tell them of a future that they swore never to give away, like how we fly to the moon, or fly period for that matter. Every day seemed to flow by, until my birthday drew near. **[family bonding time!]**

Because all I had to wear were my pajamas at first, I got many kimono's to wear, courtesy of Isoway. One of my favorites was not like a kimono in many ways, much more like a dress. When I told them of my birthday, Isoway made it as a present. It went all the way down to my ankles, with slits all the way up to just below my hips. It started blood-red at the bottom to melt into and orange-yellow flame at my chest, with a black background, sleeves like really thick spaghetti-strap that don't cover all my shoulders, a low V neckline that had red ribbon on it's edge to wrap around to my back and stop, to give the impression that the cloth had been folded over to wrap around me like a robe, and no obi around my middle that seemed to have the goal of choking me! **[news flash: that's no kimono, kid. I remember thinking up this dress (looking at it, it's very Chinese, inasmuch as I could design anything from another culture without doing proper _research,_ oh my _God),_ and that being the inspiration for writing this. I wanted Kagome to kick ass in the dress I designed. Yeah, I scraped this in the re-write; proper kimono, while not fighting material, are much more fun to describe - more layers, literally.]**

Sesshomaru and I got to know each other like brother and sister **[I was getting frustrated with the 'we're just siblings' line in Harry Potter - I've never been a fan of Ron/Hermione; Harry/Hermione just made so much more sense to me. This was my rebellion, until I could convince myself to start writing HP fics]** , and as his mother became bigger and bigger with the oncoming child, so did his worries and fears. “Don’t worry, Sesshomaru! Sure, having a brother or sister can be a pain sometimes, but that's just a way of life, their SUPPOSED to annoy you, but you love them anyway! I mean, look at me 'n' Souta; he is SUCH a pain, but I love him anyway, and I love being a big sister! You will too, Sesshy, I'm sure of it!" **[I have a younger brother, and at that age in our lives, this was pretty much the whole of how I decided to interact with him: annoy, annoy, annoy, but I love you anyway]**

This was how I did it almost every day while we cleaned our respective areas of the camp and did our chores **[responsibilities don't disappear with displacement from your home - I was big (and still am) on doing your part in the household. I wanted to impress that value onto my readers]** , and it seemed to work. For the most part...,"I just don't know, Kagome... I mean... Oh, I don't know WHAT I mean; I'm just scared as heck! You WILL help me, right Kags?" This was the pitiful plea he pushed on me more and more as time went on, and I would always respond with, “For awhile, of course! But I can't do it all the time! If you get too used to having me help you, where will you be when I find out how to get back home, huh? Back to square one; but yes, I will help you to start off, as will your parents!" and walk off before he could worry himself into an invisible corner. **[ah, the worry of the usually-unshakable, of course send the beautiful, smart, knowing MarySue into the fray! She has the power to fix** _ **anything!...**_ **I can't believe I wrote this]**

After three months with them, as I was doing laundry with Isoway while the boys were off hunting, an idea occurred to me. "Isoway... If Sesshomaru is all demon and so is Inutaisho, and you guys are his parents, then wouldn't Sesshomaru be half demon?" She sighed, then answered, “Yes, by the law of nature, he would be, but I am not his birth mother." **[brace yourselves - I was** _ **really**_ **proud of this upcoming bit. I made it sound like I knew just what I was talking about, and (best of all) it didn't come from canon, but from my own thoughts and questions on the subject. Honestly, I'm** _ **still**_ **kind of proud of it. It's yet to be seen if any incarnation of this will make it into the re-write.]**

At this, I stopped everything in surprise, and looked at her. “What! But... But Sesshomaru said... I'm confused!" As she answered me, out of habit, I subconsciously began to wash the clothes again. "Sesshomaru knows that I am not his real mother, but considers me as such because he cannot remember his real mother; only me. Demons age extremely fast in the first few weeks of their lives; by five weeks they are the human equivalent of three years, and then they slow down to the human equivalent of a single year for about every 15 years(I could be wrong, so don't quote me on this, Dear **[ooh, the infamous parenthesis... but not acting as an out-of-speech indicator this time? I have _no_ idea what I was trying to accomplish here]** ). Sesshomaru's birth mother was killed by another demon by the time Sesshomaru was the human version of a year and two months, and Inutaisho found and fell in love with me only a year and a half later. Sesshomaru was about three and--" she was so deep into figuring it out that the shirt she had grabbed from the pile of washed and wet clothes lay limp in her half raised arms that had been in the process of being pined on the line to dry for a moment,"--I'd venture to say about a week short of a month had he been a human... Anyway! Do you remember anything from when you were three Kagome?" I shook my head, “No, but why?" "Think about it: he would be just as memoriless as you are, and so he would see me as his mother for not remembering his birth mother, even if he had been told differently."

I nodded slowly, all the pieces of the puzzle falling into place, “So he doesn't remember his real mother... Okay, I see it now! One more question; the baby you have now..." I trailed off, but I didn't need to say anything else. “Yes, he or she will be only Sesshomaru's half sibling for THEY will be half demon, and not full. According to Inutaisho, the day that I have him or her, that moon will be the time of month when they become full human. For a half human demon, they have a certain night once a month when they lose all their demonic abilities and become only as good as humans, though it only lasts 'till the sun comes up." **[Also still proud of this, and also likely to be used. I wanted a** _ **reason**_ **for the timing of Inuyasha's human nights, and this made sense.]**

Once again, I was confused, “If they get a human night, do they get a demon night too?" She chuckled, “I had the exact same question. It seems that they don't; instead this happens: If they are attacked and fall into mortal peril, their demon blood takes over, and they become vicious killing machines... The off side to this is that unless they're changed back almost immediately, the demon blood takes over and consumes them. The good side is that if they have some type of charm, like a bracelet or piece of cloth, it doesn't matter what it is, but it has to have great power instilled into it by the parents, then as long as they hold onto that, they can't transform. Both myself and Inutaisho have agreed that if it's a girl we'll make her a bladed fan, and if it's a boy, we'll make him a sword so they can defend themselves; half demons are widely hated everywhere, the only one's that accept it out of either of its kind is it's family, and even not then, possibly only the father, mother or sibling accept it, or no one at all. We also agreed that so Sesshomaru isn't left out, we'll make him a sword, too. Please don't tell him; it's a surprise! Anymore questions, Kagome?" I blinked. She could change the subject in a second! **[She could! *snort* And that, ladies and gents, was blatant, sloppy exposition like this fic loves]**

"No, thanks for telling me, Isoway. Hey, listen! They're coming back! Good hunting, men **['men'? What, is she a proper little seven year old tribe elder, now?]**?" I asked as they burst through the brush, each dragging a fairly large deer, and Inutaisho lugging a fishing net full of fish over one shoulder. “Perfect! We caught a ton this time; all the more to store for emergencies! You should have seen Sesshomaru; he was catching fish left and right!" At this, Sesshomaru muttered thanks as he stared at the ground looking as though he had gotten into his fathers wine store, his face was so flushed with praise. **[of course we have to give the recluse some emotions now that the Kagome-Sue has shown up and been exerting her Sue-vibes]**

Disclaimer: I don't oh-  
Inuyasha: Hurry it up, wench; I finally get in the story in this chapter! **[I wrote this exchange soley for the purpose of using 'wench'. At the time, it was the saltiest language I would allow myself. I have since overcome that 'language barrrier', though not for the puposes of keeping this fic K+ rated.]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Grr... Why you...-bang, crash, shatter- Kagome-chan, would you?  
Kag:-rubs hands together menacingly- Gladly. SIT BOY!  
Inu:-unconscious from beatings given by atsuyuri_sama and a painful 'sit' from Kagome- . **[Oh blatant, off-camera violence, how I could have written you better...]**  
atsuyuri_sama:-yells/cheers- Yay! I beat up Inu! I am STRONG!-says in a much calmer voice- I don't own Inuyasha.-goes back to yelling/cheering- On with the story! **[this expression of my excitement was not feigned - I really was that hyper/thrilled as a result of convincing myself that 'wench' was a step up in the world... and I was in my teens...Can we say 'repressed', 'purer than the driven snow', or maybe 'too naive to survive the real world'? Ugh...]**

Chapter 4 - To Be Possessed

Things were getting edgy as the day of the baby’s birth came closer, there became more things that those of us not watching Isoway had to do that she could no longer, and it got harder on each of us, only the excitement of a baby soon to be around kept us going.

Four months after I learned of Sesshomaru's real mother, he and I were given time to go play as a treat for keeping everything in order for a week while both Isoway and Inutaisho were out with a cold; we chose to go into the forest and go to the stream. **[blatant set-up – why wouldn’t they do things that needed doing to survive, even if they had colds? Life doesn’t work like that]**

It took us awhile to get there, but at least we weren't attacked by demons... Even so, Sesshomaru would have protected me, so I wasn't scared. We got there, and Sesshomaru taught me how to catch a fish with my bare hands! So cool!

I looked around, always keeping in sight of Sesshomaru, when all of a sudden he was in front of me in a fighting stance, growling. Out of the trees he had been staring at came a soft, white ball. It hovered for a moment, before a voice came out of it, “I desire a body! I desire a body of flesh! I DESIRE MY OWN FLESH TO CONTROL!" **[dun, dun, _dun!_ ]** With that, it sped at us, going straight through Sesshomaru, and straight into me. **[yes, bypass the full-demon of awesome might, and head straight for the Kagome-Sue, little spirit. I have you right where I want you! You'll never overcome the impossible draw of a MarySue at the time of her first powerup! Muhahahahaha! Good God.]**

I was thrown back from the force of the talking mist-ball, and instantly I realized I at once had no control over my body, it was controlling me instead! Because of it's possessing me, I had grown claws and fangs, all my senses were heightened, and the demon desperately wanted to kill the closest living thing as a seal to keep me locked up forever; it looked on Sesshomaru... **[oh yes, of course. The human has to gain demonic attributes to be worthy of her future mate. what was I thinking?!]**

Inside I screamed in emotional agony: it just COULDN'T hurt Sesshy **['Sesshy'? And I got that _where?]_** _!_ My best friend who was practically my brother **[take that, Rowling!]**! Apparently Sesshomaru knew what had happened, because he looked at me in worry, “I can't get the demon out of you, Kags **[again: 'Kags'? Where was I getting these familiar forms of address without set-up?]** , you have to do it yourself! Expand your mind and force it out!" were his only words as he raced around the clearing, constantly avoiding the demons' **[this little thing called grammar. Surely I had heard of it before?]**  attacks.

For almost fifteen minutes, I struggled for control with the demon in my head, Sesshomaru cheering me on when he could, then all of a sudden, I found a ball of purple-pink light in my head that seemed to emit the feeling of great power. I envisioned my mind becoming a hunched up bird, the power helping to shape me, and then in a bust of new found energy, I flung my wings out and stood upright, covering every corner of my mind, finally forcing the spirit out with a pained screech. **[because if a demonic form doesn't work out, why not pull out the super-cliche of _wings?_ I'm so embarrassed for younger-me right now...]**

I collapsed, Sesshomaru catching me with a gasp and grunt. As my head cleared, the first thing I noticed were a huge pair of grey-white wings coming out of my back. I started, backing up, “What the heck is going on, Sesshy!" He simply smiled at me **[because a demon is fine with a miko who doesn't know her own powers, as long as he knows what he's talking about. Ugh!]** , “You used the form of a bird to force out the spirit, didn't you?" I nodded numbly, still staring at my wings.

"You have Miko powers, Kagome, it's that simple. The power guided you to use what was in your mind, and your version of freedom and self-control is a bird. It just used what was in your heart **[and they say 'Heart' is the weakest power there is!... oh _God,_ so cheesy!!]** to free you. I imagine that you can get rid of the wings at will, though I could be wrong. Try it."

I nodded, then concentrated on my wings disappearing. It worked with a flurry of soft grey-white feathers. Then and there, as we walked back to the clearing, we both agreed that my Miko powers be unveiled, but how we discovered them be kept a secret. It was for the best. **[because I knew demons were supposed to be uncomfortable around miko powers (of course not the soul mate Sesshomaru, though); I didn't know how to handle Inutaisho's reaction at all, in truth]**

It was nearly time for the baby, and everyone was always alert, but it didn't happen for two weeks. It was about ten at night, and Isoway was staring at the full moon outside because she couldn't sleep... The next thing we knew, she was doubled over, screeching, “It’s HERE, it's HERE! Sesshomaru, GET YOUR FATHER!" **[because one single instance of massive cramping is The Sign that it's contractions; there's no room in this world for Braxton Hicks, or bad food, or even just normal, 'my body is adjusting to the weight that comes with carrying a baby all the time' cramps. Just one big pain, and the woman _knows_ the baby's 'time' has come... It's an elusive breed of story-building spelled r-e-s-e-a-r-c-h; forgive me, because it and I had not yet been formally introduced.]**

Two hours and a successful birth later, Inuyasha, a baby boy, was alive and screaming his head off. He looked human to me, with black hair and brown eyes, but then I remembered what Isoway had told me: this was to be his human night. The next morning, he had silver hair, dog ears, golden dog eyes, fangs **[did I just forget that newborn infants _have no teeth?_ I don't care how fast he was supposed to grow - babies are do not come fresh from the womb with teeth]** , and claws.

For a few weeks, we took turns caring for him, and what Isoway had said came true, he DID **[I really needed to learn the power of bolding and italics; the EMPHASIS THROUGH CAPSLOCK hurts my eyes]**  grow the human equivalent of three years in five weeks, walking and talking non-stop. After seven weeks, Sesshomaru could take care of Inuyasha without any problems **[because the kid's a Super-Dad - he has to be to fit the bill as the perfect mate for my Kagome-Sue]** , and Isoway and Inutaisho pulled me away from the sight of Sesshomaru with his brother with sly looks on their faces.

"Kagome, dear, we've got a surprise for you!" Isoway said with the most excited look on her face that I had ever seen.

"What is it, Isoway **[now that I think about it... thank _God_ I didn't have Kagome calling her 'Mom']**?" I was really confused. “Two things, actually. One: we thought you deserved a gift for helping us out when most would have been looking for their families; and two:... Would you like to become part of the dog clan?" **[because Kagome-Sue has to have a chance to live just as long as at least a half-demon, if she stands any kind of chance mating with a demon. That, and I just really wanted to make her a halfbreed]**

I blinked. Did he really just say what I heard him say? I could become part of the dog clan! Wow, that in itself was a lot! I nodded, at a loss for words. He grinned, looking sidelong at his wife, she nodded, and the next thing I knew, a beautiful bladed fan was in my hands. **[well, I did foreshadow it, a little, at least. Not _all_ the contrivances of fiction-building were completely beyond younger-me...]**

The blades themselves were of the purest and strongest metal; and the cloth creating the fan itself was that of a deep purple background with a snake-like green dragon slithering over it **[fyi - I created this in tandem with the dress. That's the only reason Kagome got a weapon instead of a charm to surpress her 'new' demon side]**. I felt honored to be given such a priceless gift.

Inutaisho stepped up to me, and began to speak, "Kagome, I did a little research **[that, as the Clan Leader, you of course would not have known in advance because even _you_ don't know Clan Secrets, nor used them on your own very human wife]** , and it turns out that the only type of dog clan blood that your body will take is the rare midnight-clan blood **[because black ears are better than silver for Kagome-Sue]** ; myself, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are of the silver clan. I cannot tell you exactly how your body will react to the demon blood, but I can say that you become a half demon. Are you willing to take the risk?" I bowed my head, “As ready as I'll ever be, Sir!" I said solemnly.

In response to this, he handed me a blood-red **[If I had any readers who enjoyed reading between the lines, if they wondered if this 'brew' contianed blood, they were right. Blood and sake, but I don't know what else, because it wasn't important to the plot. I was just pleased to plot an eight year old into drinking a blood and alcohol mixture - it seemed sufficiently nasty for a ritual like this]**  brew that smelled strongly of alcohol and copper. “You must drink as much as you can handle, Kagome, alright?" I nodded, and drank, Isoway 's soothing voice being the last thing I heard before the darkness overtook me...

 

Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine!  
atsuyuri_sama: Yay, now we all get to see what Kags looks like in her new form! XD  
Kagome: Wait a sec, atsuyuri_sama! ‘ _WE_ ’? You mean to tell me that _you_ don’t know what I look like yet?  
atsuyuri_sama: Ma~yb~e… **[I couldn't pull off 'coy' if my life depended on it]**  
Kagome: What do you mean by that? You’re the one writing! How could you not know?  
atsuyuri_sama: -grinning slyly- Never said I did, never said I didn’t. **[was I not _beyond_ clever here? *sarcasm mode*]**  
 _Kagome:_ -looks at Inuyasha with hands on hips- How did I ever talk myself into working with this psychopath, Yasha?  
Inuyasha: Don’t look at me, wench, I don’t know how your mind works.  
Kagome: Sit. -walks off fuming, Inuyasha making out with the dirt behind her-  
atsuyuri_sama: O~kay… On with the fic! XP

Chapter 5 – To Be A Half-Demon

I woke up a little later, the setting sun glowing on the horizon, and felt, for all the world like I had been hit with a bulldozer, doused in ice cold water, beat with a broom, and then given a deep tissue massage over all of my bruises. Let’s just say I didn’t feel too peachy just then… **[nice imagery for my skill level, at least]**

I groaned as I attempted to sit up, and was immediately helped up by strong, gentle hands, and a warm voice saying to me, “How do you feel, Kagome?”

Instantly I remembered what had taken place earlier that morning, “I feel like I was trampled by a bulldozer…” I replied absently.

“A what?” Duh, me! Inutaisho had no clue what that was! **[hey, look at that: I was aware enough to recognize that he wouldn't have understood the reference! I was _paying attention!_ *gasp*]**

“A huge demon,” I quickly changed my answer. He let it go, and handed me a mirror **[a mirror? When they've been relegated to the wilderness without servants or fancy, Lord-like things... but they had access to a mirror?]**  with a smile, “Go ahead, see what you look like!” He urged me on gently.

With a trembling hand and a chest tight with anticipation, I raised the mirror to my face…

“Oh… My… Gosh **[because 'God' was too strong a sentiment for me to feel comfortable writing out. Not surprising, considering my reaction to 'wench', but... it makes the whole thing sound stilted. Who thinks to say 'gosh' as opposed to 'God' when their world view has been up-ended (aside from maybe Captain America, aka Captain Anachronism)?]** …” was all I managed to say in the end, as Sesshomaru, who had shown up just as his father offered me the mirror, smiled brightly.

All my freckles had disappeared **[I think at this point in life, I was still under the impression that freckles were the bane of socially-appealing complexions. Pure, lily-white skin was what my precious, perfect, half-demon Kagome-Sue was getting!]** , leaving my face unblemished; unless you count the two dark blue triangles that had appeared on my face, the bases framing both my eyes, and the points extending to become level with my mouth **[the idea was a-la Kai from Beyblade, just twisted at a 45 degree angle]** , and the crimson crescent moon on my forehead, in the exact place as Sesshomaru’s, but in the exact opposite phase… **[because, of course, opposites attract]**

My eyes had turned a deeper honey-golden than any of them, more brown showing in mine than their pure gold, and fangs had grown in my mouth…

My hands were still the same, save for the dangerous looking claws on my fingers…

My eyesight was past human, I could see so well, and my head was reeling with the number of different scents just in the cabin, and all the sounds that I could already hear…

I already felt super-human, and knew instinctively that I had the reflexes and speed of a demon…

But what I had been expecting the most, surprised me the most: the black dog ears perched on my head, nestled in and around my raven black hair, which I could move at will…

**[I wonder why I felt it necessary to split all of these up? I couldn't have been comfortable for paragraphs of these lengths when carrying on conversations, but for 'dramatic' reveals they work just fine?!]**

I said it once, I will say it again: “Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh. Oh my GOSH! **[Like, the world is, like, ending, so ohmi _gosh!_ ]**”- I scarily reminded myself of those prepy, popular jerks at my school that I had sworn never to associate with **[okay, I totally wrote that last comment before I read this line. I proceeded to fall out of my chair laughing, again. I guess I haven't change _too_ much - is that a good or a bad thing, though? Now I'm scared, if I can conduct similar thought processes as I did when I wrote this junk...]**.-“I’m a _real_ half-breed, with _real_ demon blood in my veins! Oh, thank you, Inutaisho, Isoway! Thank you!”

I was bubbling with exited energy, and I knew it. **[no, really?]**

Chaos would ensue after that for the rest of the day as I tested my new limits, and I would love every minute of it! After I had had my fun, Inutaisho rounded us up, and stated that Inuyasha and I were to begin training in combat, defense, and control, both mentally and physically. Boy, was I in for it!

Over the next few weeks, I would learn how to fight and defend using my body, and any weapon **[because  everyone knows that MarySue is perfection]**  know **[n... re-read or get a beta, younger-me!]**  to man and demon, even one known to monkeys, the banana peel **[ha. Ha. *flatly* I am so funny. Did you see that, guys? Ha. ha. Banana peel. Ha. Did I _honestly_ put that in here for a _giggle factor?_ ]**; I would learn the exact and pure art of meditating; and I would learn my limits and how far I could push them at one time, which, Inutaisho would later tell me with pride, I could make go for a much longer time than most **[again: Sue-perfection. Boring!]** , which could prove useful in a tight situation.

I learned that I preferred the bow first, then the quarterstaff second, and from there, all the other weapons rated same in my mind. I also learned that the most comfortable way to meditate for me were up against a thick tree trunk, lotus-style, and that if I was comfortable, I would lose myself in my mind, and hours would pass like seconds. The others told me that when this happened, I would start to glow the purple-pinkish light that was the aura of my miko energy, and, if left alone for a long enough time, I would slowly begin to float higher and higher, until they got my attention, where then I would float slowly back to earth, and, as they put it, I would ‘wake up’. **[I'm not sure, but I think I may have gotten this idea from somewhere else; it just doesn't seem like something I'd come up with. If I did, then: this idea wasn't mine. I should have disclaimed that when I first wrote this, but I wonder if I knew _what_ the disclaimer was at this point. If you see this, and you thought of it first, forgive younger-me - it's yours to claim.]**

I don’t ever remember this, so I just take their word for it.

Pretty soon, I could fill anything with miko energy – deadly and purifying, or harmless and glowing with an aura – and spar even with Inutaisho and win almost two-thirds of the time **[because as long as she's Kagome-Sue, even an eight year old can overcome the might and experience of a thousand year old demon Lord, _known_ for his battle skills, with ease.]**. I also had a better, more noticeable rein over my powers and mind; it impressed everyone, but I was the most affected in my opinion…

I started being able to roughhouse with Inuyasha again without hurting him on accident, and Inutaisho took me on hunts, and taught me at the same time as Sesshomaru.

I had been living with them for a year-and-a-half by then, and Isoway had had to alter my favorite dress so I could continue to fit in it, both length-wise, and as of lately… other places, too… It had come to pass where I believed I would never see my family again; I stopped wondering so frequently if they ever thought about me; I had come to comfortably call Isoway, Inutaisho, Sesshomaru, and Inuyasha my family; memories of my blood-family had become dim and, to say the least, dusty; and a strange feeling would cause it to become hard to breathe when Sesshomaru was around, a tightness lingering in my chest long after the breathlessness had passed… **[for a first attempt at writing romance, this wasn't half-bad foreshadowing. It still sucks in the long-run... but it was good in its time.]**

It was another uneventful day, full of the usual training, sparing, cooking, family-time, and I was sitting beneath a tree, comfortably day-dreaming, when a thick shadow fell over me, and Inutaisho’s voice entered my dreamland, “Kagome, Isoway, Sesshomaru, and I have been thinking, and we would like to talk to you.”

I glanced up, my face full of curiosity. All three were standing there, looking uncertain and hopeful at the same time. I motioned for them to sit, and they did, the unsure ness only persisting. “Kagome,”-Sesshomaru started uncertainly-“I think I know how you can get back home.” He said slowly, eyes averted from mine. **[ah, the reluctant crush. Yes, at this point I had imagined him having feelings for her for far longer than she had for him - he's a longer-lived demon, what was I supposed to do? Put him at the same emotional level as her? Hey - look at that: I was _using my brain again_ _!_ ]**

My heart skipped a beat. ‘Go… back… home…?’ I thought numbly.

“How?” I was focused intently on what the young dog demon had to say. “It seems to me that the answer has been here all along, and we’ve been just too blind to notice it. I figure, if the well is the only way to get here that we know of, it’s probably the only way to get back as well. It’s that simple, we’ve all been just a little blind-sighted about it, right?” I nodded, the prospect of going back home exciting and terrible all at once. It was exciting because I would get to see my family again; but terrible because I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see _this_ family again. I had a foreboding feeling that I wouldn’t; not this family as it was now, anyway… **[becaused I can only be good at foreshadowign once in a blue moon]**

“You’re going back home, and if I remember correctly, nobody in your time believes in demons, so if they saw you, you’d be experimented on by… what was it?.... _scientists_ ,” Isoway interrupted my thoughts after a moment, and continued, “so you have to get a disguise so your true form won’t be revealed. With Inutaisho’s help, I have made a necklace for you. Always wear it; never take it off and your secret will be safe.” **[hi, brain, hello, common sense! It looks like the longer I wrote this, the more you two showed up!]**

As she spoke of the necklace, she pulled something out of her pocket. It turned out to be said necklace: an onyx pendant with all the phases of the moon carved into it attached to a thin gold chain. **[boy, let me tell you: the first incarnation of this baby was _complex!_ Of course, it was for my perfect Kagome-Sue... but I decided it was too much detail to write about without loosing my audience (I think, if I remember right, it was somethign like a yin-yang of ruby and sapphire, with the spots inside being emerald and diamond, with the entire thing circled by pearl and onyx or something - the idea was the yin-yang made up of the cardinal red, blue, green, yellow, and surrounded by the ultimates of black and white. It was _bleeding_ with symbolism, and I loved it. I'm so _proud_ that younger-me realized I had to simplify it before she posted it, though. Good girl!]**

Wow. Pretty. **[and simple!]**

I took it, and attempted to get it on, when, finally, with an exasperated sigh, I looked longingly at the slender golden chain in my hands, as though willing the clasp to work on its own. A pair of clawed and calloused hands entered my vision, and took the chain from me. I looked up just in time to find Sesshomaru clasping the charm around my neck. **[I'd stop here to point and say, 'Look, my Kagome-Sue's not perfect', but we all know I was just using that device as an excuse to get Sesshomaru to 'romantically' put the pendant on for her...]** “There, all you needed was another pair of eyes and hands to finish the job.” I felt the heat rising to my face, and looked at the necklace, at the same time causing my hair to fall and shield my burning face, and giving myself a moment to ponder why 1) we were so close, and 2) why I blushed every time he got near me lately. **[she's dense, younger-me couldn't write subtly worth anything, and this is painfully naive.]**

A moment was all I needed to rid myself of my blush, and I looked up at Sesshomaru, “Thanks, Isoway, Sesshy! It’s beautiful!” The others started to stand, and I followed suit. “Inutaisho and I will stay here and keep an eye on Inuyasha, you two go and see if Sesshomaru’s theory is right. If you can’t get back, Kagome, don’t forget that we love you.” **[that is, back to them, not back home; clarification was another weakness younger-me possessed even as she tried to battle it. I turned it into the weakness of over-clarification. I don't know which is worse, actually...]** Isoway said with a gentle, and sad smile. I nodded, and embraced her, Inutaisho and Sesshomaru following suit, turning it successfully into a group hug.

With that, Sesshomaru and I set off for the well, and an impending date with destiny… **[I recall honestly debating with myself whether or not to write 'Bum, bum, BUM!' here. Oh, good _God._ ]**

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or it’s characters, and I never will!  
atsuyuri_sama: I love ‘destiny’ or ‘fate’ cliffies, don’t you? Oh, and thanx to all my readers who sent me those awesome E-Mails! **[I was so sure this was a suspenseful cliff-hanger. Also, why did I capitalize 'e-mail'?]**  
Kagome: A what cliffy?  
atsuyuri_sama: You know, when you get a cliffy ending along the lines of, “And so we continued on our journey, unaware that fate/destiny already had plans for us…” Like what was at the end of chapter 5.  
Kagome: Ohh… That. Yeah, they’re okay, I guess…  
atsuyuri_sama:-blink- Just “ _okay_ ”, not anything like “ _awesome_ ” or “ _spectacular_ ”?  
Kagome: Nope. **[Hey, look there! My subconscious, in the form of the canon Kagome, actually understood the futility of my efforts! I wasn't completely full of myself!]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Humph! Party-pooper! – fuming – Start the story! – sticks out tongue at Kagome, who replies like-wise, ending in a ‘sick-out-your-tongue-while-staring’ contest – **[and I honestly thought these interludes were cute?]**

Chapter 6 – To See the Face of Evil **[ooh, 'face of evil'. Wanna bet Naraku's in this ch--... What? _What?_ Okay, fine; that is just a little _too_ obvious even for me now, huh?]**

The closer we got to the well, the darker the air around us began to feel. When we were half-way there, Sesshomaru and I agreed that it wasn’t our imaginations, and we turned back, sensing that the family would need us. **[ah, yes. The Sue and her mate are the only ones who can save a thousand year old Lord with comparable military experience, his human mate, adn their halfbreed infant son from _one_ crazed half demon. Ugh.]**

We raced there, each running just as fast as the other when we got to the camp. There, Isoway and Inutaisho had begun to sense the evil as well. We were all on major alert when it happened.

“Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A weak human, two young, stupid Halflings, and two human-loving freak-of-natures who dare to call themselves dog demons. I told you I’d be back, Sesshomaru, Kagome.” With these words, a teenage version of the child-like Naraku that we had fought last time slipped through the tree covering into our clearing. His black, wavy hair still reached his shoulder-blades, but now he was taller and more powerful looking.

Without so much as a blink to tell what he was going to do, he lashed out, and knocked Isoway out with a flick of his new tentacles **[*snerk* Naraku's tentcles. I'm _so_ much more gutter-minded than I used to be...]**. I gasped, and Sesshomaru paled; this wasn’t going to be as easy as last time, that was for sure!

Inutaisho, with Inuyasha in his arms, ran to Isoway, and crutched **[*gasp* he beat her with conveniently-availiable crutches?! Spousal abuse! It's 'crouched' younger-me; spell-check may not always be your friend, but that's where awesome betas come much more in handy.]**  protectively next to her. I turned my eyes back to Naraku just in time; I noticed his attack as I turned, and was able to leap out of the way. Sesshomaru wasn’t so lucky. **[because even if he's the MarySue mate, _she's_ still the only one with god-like abilities of perfection]**

“Sesshomaru!” I heard myself scream, and I raced to his side. By then, he was already up, and shrugging off the minor pain from the slight gash he had gained in his arm **[huh. At least I remembered that he actually _capable_ of defending himself.]**. We looked at each other, and nodded. We would attack him from both sides, and see how that fared.

I charged to the left, Sesshomaru to the right, and we stopped when Naraku was directly between us. Sesshomaru used his poison claw, and I shot raw Miko energy at Naraku in the same moment. In a flash we returned to our original positions, and watched as he was hit with out **['our']**  double whammy. Smoke billowed up around him as he doubled over, not having expected an attack so powerful right away, but he quickly recovered, much to our dismay, and set his sights on me.

Or, Sesshomaru and I thought he did, anyway. Just as he neared me, he swerved, and went for Inutaisho. Without thinking, I ran in front of him, and blocked his assault. Ouch. **[injury of your perfect Sue is acceptable in the defense of another beloved character, as long as the Sue remains able to battle, in spite of wounds incured that would permanently cripple anyone else. It says so in the MarySue handbook, I think. *sarcasm mode*]**

I felt myself collapse, and was well aware of the icy shivers that wracked my body as a result of the pain, but I shook them off, and turned to the small group behind me, “You guys alright?” I gasped through gritted teeth. When Inutaisho nodded, I hissed, “Get them out of here! They can’t fight him, only making them better targets for Naraku!”

As I sprinted off, ignoring the pain, to continue the battle and aid Sesshomaru, I heard him mutter distractedly, “Right. I need to get them out of here; I need to protect them.” I smiled to myself; even a great warrior like Inutaisho could get distracted in the midst of battle.

I watched them out of the corner of my eye as they fled, and then I re-entered the fight. For a moment, all I could do was watch, unable to help, as Sesshomaru and Naraku fought it out, one-on-one, but then Naraku got distracted by something, and Sesshomaru threw him to the ground with a mighty punch. Naraku leapt back up, and instead of retaliating, he turned and began to race through the trees… in the same direction that the others fled.

When I heard Sesshomaru curse, however mildly, I knew that he knew why Naraku had taken off. Without waiting any longer, Sesshomaru and I followed on his tail. Within minutes, we could see him, but it was all we could do. He was running just enough that we couldn’t catch him **[for drama and suspense, otherwise, as a Sue, Kagome could have caught up to him easily, you understand... I can't believe how _sick_ I am of reading this MarySue fic- and it's _mine!_ I can't believe I wrote an honest-to-God, bone-a-fide MarySue! *sobs*]** , just on the tail of Inutaisho, who held Isoway and Inuyasha in his arms.

With a blink, I remembered that time when that spirit had tried to take over my body, and when I willed it enough, I grew wings. I took a moment to wonder if I could do a similar trick here. All I had to do was picture a smaller, black form of Sesshomaru’s dog transformation, one that could fit into the tightness of these trees, and I transformed. **[dog forms are a perogative when dealing with dog demons, even if she's a halfbreed and should therefore be logically unable to become one (though she does have that miko-transformation thing going on, so it's... logicalish at least). I just wanted her to have a dog form so she had soemthing else in common with Sesshomaru.]**

I leapt with powerful hind legs at Naraku, and landed on his shoulders, throwing him to the ground. Just in time too! We had reached the clearing in which stood the well that brought me here – though I supposed that it was the fact we were running for our lives that made the trip so much faster – and Naraku had been reaching out to grab Inutaisho’s tail.

I turned back into myself, but not before digging my claws into his back cripplingly deep, and then leaping off. He narrowed his eyes at me, and then snarled, “You think you’ve beaten me? You _will_ fall by my hand!” Without leaving anymore room for words, he lunged at me to quick to dodge, and before I knew exactly what was happening, I was falling down the well, a deranged demon clinging to me.

The purple-pink lights flared, signaling my travel through time again, but at the first sign of them, Naraku gave a blood-curdling scream, and half-way through the well became completely vaporized by the energy, with no sign left of him when I hit the bottom.

I looked up, and saw the familiar roof of the well house, with its star-filled hole, and blinked. I was back home.

Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of exhaustion. I remembered the necklace for hiding my demon being, and slid it around my neck tiredly. I noticed that I was human again, back in my pajamas, my body had returned to the way it was before I fell in, except for my twisted foot, which was back, and it was night.

As I tucked the pendant into my pajamas, Naraku’s voice suddenly echoed around me. I gave a start as I heard what he had to say, “Thanks to a trick of mine, no one but Sesshomaru remembers you, and even though he does, he will go on to hate and desire to kill humans because you left him. Sure that’s not a good reason, but because of my powers, it’s sense enough to him. His memory of you will fade, leaving him with an empty hatred for humans, and he will run off, only to return for his title of Lord when his father dies protecting Inuyasha and Isoway. And you, my dear girl, will remember nothing as well, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it! Muhuhuhahahahah!! Good night, little ningen, and remember not!” **[because to younger-me suspense was always good, and I also needed a reason for the canon to happen without Kagome recognizing Sesshomaru at first canon sighting. Because I wanted my Kagome-Sue to fit into the canon I knew (even if my knowledge of canon at the time was sketchy at best)]**

With that, I found I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore no matter how hard I tried, and soon I drifted into a cold, lonely darkness.

 

 **[Hey, look at this - the only end-note I ever wrote in any of my fanfics that had nothing to do with my story! I still have this question, so if anyone _does_ have an answer, I'd be grateful... but the fic that I'm refering to was read sometime in 2004 (God I feel old... that was when I _discovered_ fanfiction, and it's almost a decade old...), so I don't hold out much hope, considering the way things can get 'lost' when on the Internet over such a long period of time. Thanks anyway] ** atsuyuri_sama: I know I don’t usually talk at the end, but hear me out; when I first got on to FF.net, I read this awesome Inu YuYu crossover! The author said that they’d make the sequel, because they left a major cliffy, but then I got grounded for six months **[I really did - it was because I lied about my fanfic addiction (it really was) to my mom. I don't lie to her anymore about _anything,_ now. Six months is a long time...]** , and lost the story.

I don’t remember the name of the story or the author, but I do remember this: the title(I think) had something to do with flame/ fire/ etc.; Kagome’s family died in a fire and it was revealed that they were only her adoptive family, in truth her brother is Kurama; she went to train with Genki, and then had to take on the guise of a short, twelve(I think)-tailed fox to keep her identity from her brother and his friends; she and Hiei battle each other constantly to hone their skills, him being the only one who knows her true identity; she goes to the Dark Tournament in Genki’s place; ends up revealing herself to everyone in the final battle because it’s against Naraku; then she has to go to Spirit World because she did something to him **[Naraku, I think]**  that was unforgivable(I think she destroyed his soul or something); and somewhere in all that, she and Hiei fall in love(there’s a time in the story where, I think, they get lost in a cave or something, and get attacked by demons, and in order to keep the other from going berserk with their demon blood, they both kiss the other in the middle of their transformation **[there was biting involved; this was my first introduction to mate-biting, adn I was disturbed and fascinated at the same time]** ). **[honestly, this could be a mistaken memory of an amalgemation of two fics - if you read one that fits any of the bill (aside from the title, which would just get me a truck-load of unrelated fics), can you pass it on?]**

The reason I say all this is because it’s been four-some **[make that nine-some]**  years now, I want to add that story to my faves **[not so much anymore; I'd just like to re-read it]** , I want to read the sequel because Hiei has to get there in time to save her, and I still haven’t found it, and was wondering if someone could help me out in finding it? **[I don't think this entire sentence would have allowed a physical chance for me to breathe had I said it aloud... Wow.]**

Thanks, I love you all if you help me, you don’t even have to review **[I kid, of course. Reviews are my author's life-blood]** , just help, I want to re-read it, and then read the sequel! Thank you, again wonderful readers and have a great day/evening/night/etc…XD **[this was sincere, though - I really do still wish that all my readers have a wonderful life. I'd hate to think any of you are depressed or ill. So that last sentence definitely still stands.]**

 

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha. If I did, Fluffy would be sweet to everyone! **['Fluffy'. Huh. Think he'd bite my head off in canon if he heard that?]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Yay, chapter seven! I’m expecting there to be around two more chapters after this, more or less. Oh, and that ‘once-a-moth’ thing didn’t exactly get fulfilled, did it? Sorry! ^.^U **[and I still _monumentally suck_ at writing for deadlines. That hasn't changed one iota. My poor readership...]**  
Kagome: Only two more? T.T  
atsuyuri_sama: ‘S all right, Kagome; Sesshy’s problems became known! Like, why he’s got such a problem with humans and his brother **[I was so excited to have an explanation for this, and to explore his royalnesses issues]**. Let the end commence! **[because 'commence' is a flowery word. I don't even know.]**

Chapter 7 – To Know Once More KAGOME POV – SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE **[and once again, just in case my readers hadn't caught on by seven chapters in, I had to remind everyone that this is in Kagome's POV... Ugh.]**

It’s been two years since I first met Inuyasha and the others, and in all those two years, I would have never guessed that what happened to me last night when I woke up would ever happen…

Flashback **[the flashback is in italics - it should go without saying that it's a different medium than present-day - there's no need for the anouncement of 'flashback'. Wait. Wait. That, right there! Oh my God, did younger-me use _italics?!_ I knew they existed, and I _persisted_ in using the CAPSLOCK OF DOOM?! *headdesk* OTL Forgive me, please)**

 _I awoke in a cold sweat, gasping and trembling. I had just had_ that _nightmare again. I don’t know why it scared me before; all it ever was me falling, and blacking out…_

 _But this time it was different. This time, I heard a voice in my head. This time I knew that it had been there every time to scare, I just never remembered it. This time, I knew why it scared me: It was Naraku’s voice. It had only said sparse things, and I didn’t remember any of it, but I knew it was his. But why would it be in my nightmares years before I ever knew he existed? I shook my head, and stood up quietly, careful to not wake the others._ **[is it just me, or is the narration more smooth? Maybe I _was_ conscious of the fact that kagome-Sue was seven and eught years old, I just couldn't write that young, and it came out as bucket-loads of awkward?]**

 _I slipped out of the clearing, walking the small distance through the trees to the near by stream, and knelt to wash my face. I emerged dripping, trembling, but more relaxed… Then I saw his face in the reflection of the water under the full moon. I froze, instinct dead as one thing blared in my head:_ I’m so dead. It’s the full moon; Inuyasha’s a human; this guy despises humans in general, while he plain out _hates_ me; I’m so dead. Good bye, cruel world **[drama queen]**! Good bye, Mom, Gramps, Souta! I’m sorry I couldn’t see you on last time!

 _Instinct finally woke up, and I backed up, cringing away like a beaten dog (sorry Inuyasha_ **[seriously. What was my attraction to the parenthesis all about?]** ). _Bright, cold, golden eyes stared down at me, and finally he spoke, “You’re Inuyasha’s wench_ **[*giggle* it's _that_ word. I can't remember if I'd become desensitized to writing it by this point or not...? (it came up a whole lot more in the process of attempting to write a gruff Inuyahsa into this chapter pre-post)]** , _aren’t you? Yes, I can smell that mutt in his human form right now. What are you doing? Get out of my sight!” I blinked. Suddenly, as though a woman possessed, words spilled unbidden off my lips in retort to his crisp manor. “I am_ not _one of your servants that you can just idly order around,_ Sesshomaru _!” His name emerged dripping with venom._ **[and yet, in spite of a smoother narration, I still insist on paragraphs of multiple dailogue smushed between exposition...]**

 _I was shocked at myself for my reaction; but I was careful to hide it. For a moment, he looked shock, but it quickly turned into furious anger. I figured this would be the last thing I ever saw, but then he looked closer at me; my chest to be exact. I felt the blood rush to my face, “What’re you staring at, you pervert?!”_ **[I did it! I finally broke off the paragraph at the end of a piece of dailogue instead of when it felt sufficiently long! Go, younger-me! You _can_ learn!]**

 _Before I could take a breath to demand an answer, he was in front of me, gripping the onyx pendant around my neck that I had had for a while, the person to give it to me a personal mystery. His voice quivered with a strange mix of hatred, fear, loss, and hope, coming from him making it even stranger. “Where did you get this?”_ **[scratch that; darn...]** _I felt with a twinge of shame the quaking that rattled my body as I answered awkwardly, “I-I don’t know. I don’t remember…where I…got it…?” I trailed off as I stared into his eyes, and simultaneously we both broke apart with small cries of pain, clutching our heads as the memories blocked off by Naraku so long ago flooded our consciousnesses._ **[ah, the imminent, plot-important return of the lost memories... Good times, good times.]**

 _I looked up, meeting his golden eyes, as he stuttered out, his head still obviously beating like a bass drum, “Nggh …Kag … ome?” I nodded, dumbfounded, even as the familiar hitch in my throat at his presence that I had felt so long ago started again_ **[what, did I not think that without her memories, she wouldn't at least be physically attracted to him as she once had been, or something? Like the memories were the only reason she was attracted to him in the first place? That's odd]** , _and I realized that I was more connected to him than I would have liked only two minutes ago. We stared at each other in shock for a moment, and then a look dawned slowly on his face. He seemed to speak to himself as he murmured, “You never left me on purpose, did you?” I looked at him worriedly, but he came out of his stupor quickly enough, and spoke now in a whisper, “We should keep this from Naraku. The only way to do that is to not tell Inuyasha; I don’t like not telling him_ **[why not? Years of animostiy just disappears because he suddenly recognizes a girl from his past? Unrealistic. Even if the hurt of abandonment that she caused (as I'm assuming I intended was the case) was the _cause_ of his mistreatment of his younger brother, if it's been going on almost as long as he's been alive, fixing the reason the hatred _started_ isn't necessarily going to fix the _effects_ of so many decades of hatred, or the reflex to hate. This is a weak resolution.]** , _but if we want the element of surprise, it must be done, right?” I nodded._

 _“You should probably get back to your camp, I myself must return to Rin; who knows what she has put Jaken through, or vise-versa – though I’m more worried about her than that toad._ **[he's just too wordy...]** ” _I chuckled, shaking my head in amazement. “What?” he demanded, a pink creeping up his face at my actions. “Oh, nothing; it’s just that the way you’re acting, it’s obvious that you’ve been protective of her even before now, despite your cold wall of indifference. I always figured you had a natural fatherly instinct in you, with how you handled Inuyasha before, and I was right._ **[because the Sue is always right, and also needs the perfect (but not as perfect as her) specimen to be her mate *sigh*]** ” _I stood up, dusting off my pants, and Sesshomaru followed suit. “Good night, Sesshy.” “Good night Kags… Oh, and, I want to… ahh,_ conveniently _join the group. Will you help me out?_ **[I don't care what he's remembered - he'd not be comfortable enough to ask for help, especially right then, or from her]** ” _I blinked, looking at him, and answered, “You know that Inuyasha is going to instinctually go for your throat, right?” He nodded, “I need to make up with him or Naraku will have the upper hand in my life, even if we manage to destroy him for good.” I smiled at him encouragingly, before leaving the small clearing and heading back to the quiet camp, and finally earning some well deserved sleep._

End Flashback **[once more, unnecessary audience-direction; they aren't stupid, younger-me - it's not that hard to figure out, given small clues (which you were unfortunately unable to come up with) in the narrative]**

Now I’m riding my bike alongside the others, and anxiously awaiting the moment that I begin to feel Sesshomaru. I guess I’ve let my emotions slide onto my face, because Sango falls back next to me, and says worriedly, “Are you alright, Kagome? You haven’t been yourself all morning.”

I find myself sighing, and then I say softly without really hearing what I’m saying ‘til I say it, “I’m just thinking of an old, dear friend of mine, Sango, and I know if he appears, Inuyasha will go nuts **['old, dear friend'. Sucky lead-in, and sucky in-story, support-character-tease at that. There has to be a better way to get a canonical reaction from them]**. It’s just a little worrying, that’s all.” Even as I speak, I can see the question in her eyes: _How can you have an old friend in this time; you’ve only been here for two years, and only with us?_ I finally sense him, and smile wryly in response to her question, “You’ll get it soon enough.” before ridding to the front of the group so as to be the first to meet him.

Inuyasha stiffened beside me, and I knew the wind had brought his brother’s scent to him **[and after riding to the _front_ of the group after seeing him for herself, it takes Inuyasha a moment and his _nose_ to figure it out? Lame!]**. Then I felt it.

Before he can tell me to do anything, I jump with practiced moves from my still moving bike, leaving it to clatter loudly at Inuyasha’s feet, amidst his even louder protests **[I think this scene was just to demonstrate to Inu-tachi (that is: Inu-Group) that Kagome was actually kick-ass powerful and able, for reasons they couldn't fathom, actually.]**. I begin to run forward over the dirt road, the hard rhythm of my feet flinging first one and then the other shoe off, my speed unfaltering despite this. Up ahead, I can see the silver form of Sesshomaru, and the smaller forms on either side of him of Rin and Jaken, and a scream tears itself from my lips, “Sesshomaru!! Hide!!” In the back of my mind, I can vaguely hear the others give various noises of surprise, but my concentration is set on the silver form of Sesshomaru as he scoops up Rin and Jaken, and darts off the path. His actions reveal the baboon-clad form of the current Naraku, whose tentacles **[I don't care if the tentacles are canonical. I just... every time... oh, God. I can't be the only one with this word-character-association problem, right?]**  had been speeding for him, but changed course and are now headed for me.

Instinct force me into a duck as I ready myself for the impact I know will follow…

**[seriously? Shortest chapter _ever!]_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, people! How many times do I have to say it?!... Each chapter…? Well, I, uh, guess I did _something_ right… **[I knew that in the course of writing this fic I was doing something wrong? Why didn't I get a beta? Or more writing expereince first?! And since then, I've even come to the conclusion that as long as it's stated at least once in the course of presenting the work as a whole, a disclaimer only need be said once, so I didn't even really get even that right...]**  
atsuyuri_sama: Only one more chapter. Sorry for the long wait.^^U I had been hoping that I wouldn’t turn into someone like that, but the stupid school board doesn’t regulate how many hours of homework a night is illegal or not…-sigh-  
Kagome: How many hours do you have?  
atsuyuri_sama: …Don’t ask… **[I remember those days. That was nice. I was always done by the time I went to bed; the fact that I had less time to read fanfic is what I was upset over. I wonder how younger-me would have taken the news of a university course-load (especially a final senior semester one)?]**  
Kagome: Yay! Someone like me!^^  
atsuyuri_sama: I was mistaken: this will be the ending chapter.  
Kagome: What?! I’ll miss you all!! TTOTT **[oh the drama]**  
atsuyuri_sama: And we’ll miss you, Kags;) On with the end!

Chapter 8 – To Be Reunited

I feel myself being scooped up by one thin, wiry arm, and I blink as my eyes connect with Sesshomaru’s. “Have you forgotten Father’s lessons already?” I flush indignantly, “No, I just was going with the more dominant set of instincts that I’ve had for the past four years!” **[look at that: another thinking session - a concession made to muscle memory versus actual memory. Nicely done, younger-me]**

He shook his head with a slight chuckle, “Then why don’t you show them something different?” He tossed me high up in the air, and I took the moment to pull my necklace off while in mid-spin, so when I landed to reveal my black dog ears, face markings, claws, fangs, etc, the others were shocked. Oh, and my dress had come back, and it still fit me like a glove even though I know I had grown since then. **[because that dorky dress was my pride and joy, and I kept envisioning her transformation like one of those acrobatic oddities out of a magical-girl anime - thus the one-armed toss-and-spin. In my defense, it looked cool in my head]**

I grinned at them playfully, and then I turned my attention to Naraku with a far more devilish smirk, “Thought you were through with us after that little spell, huh, Naraku?” His eyes widened, “You shouldn’t have been able to come back!” I pretended not to hear him as I continued, “Remember this?” and I slid into my dog form with a relish, growling softly at him. I heard the others gasp, and felt Sesshomaru at my side. “You’ll pay for what you did to us!” **[this paragraph is even worse than most: I only know what's being said by whom and how because I wrote it. This is a literary train wreck...]**

We both began to move forward, but then a shrill double scream filled the clearing, we froze, and I pulled out of my transformation. He held Shippo and Rin both in his tentacles **[dear Lord, what have I done?]** white with fear , though Shippo was desperately fighting back.

I heard Sesshomaru whisper softly, “Rin…!” in sync with me as I whispered, “Shippo…!” Sesshomaru took another step back, too frightened of hurting Rin in trying to save her that he wouldn’t move. I looked at Naraku darkly, “Let the children go; let me take their place. **[noble heroine, whose weakness is innocent children... blah!]** ” I could hear the others’ protests’ as Sesshomaru latched onto my arm, “Don’t, Kags!”

I pulled away from him, my face grim, and as the children were released and Sesshomaru got them, I felt a tentacle wrap around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides. “Bad move.” Both of us said at once. Taken aback by my brave words, he **[that is, Naraku. What, did I loose my ability to describe things  during this chapter for some reason?]**  froze for a moment, giving me the upper hand.

When I was training with Inutaisho, he had told me of a great and powerful finishing move, which he felt neither of his sons was responsible enough to know. You take all your energy, and blast it raw at your enemy **[why would a demon know this? It sounds more like a miko's move than anything a demon could muster]**. There is a downside, though. It has the potential to kill the user; unless they have a strong enough will and reason to live. In me using this, it would be one of the most powerful attacks in history, being both a half-demon and a miko **[of course it does. But don't worry, Kagome-Sue: Sue's are invulnerable to permanent death.]**. I only fear that I might not be strong enough to survive… **[uh-huh. R~ight. You keep convincing the audience of your mortality, Kagome-Sue, see how far you get.]**

But if it means the survival of the others and the true, once-and-for-all death of Naraku, so be it.

The fierce blast that followed completely disintegrated Naraku, so fast he had no time to scream. It forced my body to defy gravity in the exact spot Naraku had held me, and forced my conscious soul from my body. **[ohh - floaty powers. Nice]**

It was almost like those out-of-body experiences people have, except for the fact that I _was_ out of my body. To me, the light was almost blinding if I didn’t turn off my “miko-eyes” **[what is this even? There's been no other reference to this mysterious power - I can infer what it is, but there's no basis for her to have possessed it, is there? This is just bad planning right here]** ; to everyone else, the world was filled with my silent scream, and the fierce sudden wind that came from me filled to brimming with miko energy and demon wrath. **[both incompatible. I need to find a different way to incorporate the demonic energy if the re-write insists on a halfbreed miko.]**

My body crumpled to the ground, and I winced at the prominent THUD that it made. The others rushed to me, and Sesshomaru cradled me in his lap, his arm supporting my head. I heard myself whisper softly, “It was… the on… only way to…stop him… He… would’ve ki… killed you all… I felt… it. **[of course you did, honey, you're infaliable]** ” My physical eyes were closed tightly, and my body trembled with the shock and exertion of the attack. I could almost feel the bindings keeping me to my physical body snapping.

Suddenly, I realized what was happening, and I realized I didn’t want to, wasn’t ready to, and couldn’t handle dieing **['dying'. Okay, that one is just _negligence...]_** _._ I screamed wildly, uselessly, begging the others to see what was happening; to find some way to stop it somehow, knowing they couldn’t hear my pleas.

Then it dawned on me: the jewel! But they had to realize what to do, and to do it fast, because at this point, not even Tensegia could bring me back **[and why not? It hadn't been used before. This is taking the potential for drama too far; there's no need.]**. Suddenly, Miroku and Sango both stiffened with sudden thoughts, looked at each other, and muttered, “The jewel!” **[of course one must finally involve the plebeian characters for thier moment in the spotlight]**

I thanked them wildly, praying as everyone scrambled in their search for it that it would dawn on them were it was coming from: why else would my body be radiating energy after an attack like that? I honestly don’t know how it got there, but I figure it had to do with the fact that both Naraku and I had a half of the jewel, and it just radiated to the place that held purifying energy: me. **[that was... just too vague. It hurt. It's obvious - to Kagome. Not to the audience who might or might not be on the edge of their seats right now. Badly done.]**

I felt the last of the bonds snap, and screamed as I watched my body shudder, and relax with a sigh, a silver bubble-like soul seeping from my chest, then latching to my current form.

I suppose the one thing that kept me there was sheer force of will. **[well, huh, you think?]**

The other **[s]** began to panic, and then I sent the last of my will to the jewel, willing it to send off some sort of signal. As I began to be pulled away, my side where the centipede bit me, the spot where the jewel had originally been, glowed a soft pink-purple light. **[cliche]**

Sesshomaru’s gaze flickered between my slowly retreating soul **[so suddenly he can see her? Or had he been able to all along? If so, why coudln't she just _tell_ him? Sloppy.]**  and my glowing body, seemed to come to a decision, held it close, and whispered softly, “I wish Kagome was back, and everything from now on until the last of us dies will be prosperous and happy…” **[yuck. That's not a Sesshomaru-approved wish - that's a happily-ever-after shtick.]**

The glow of the jewel flickered, and then as it flared to an unbearable light, for a moment, I felt both my weak, aching body, and the loose, painless floating of my soul in the air, and then was back in my body, whole, well, and pretty much shell-shocked.

Everyone crowded around me and Sesshomaru, and I noticed that everyone was perfectly fine, all their wounds healed. I turned towards Sesshomaru, and just barley managed to blink as I was swooped up in his arms. Yes, his _arms_ ; he had regained both. **[you can see how little I knew of canon, if I assumed he'd be one-armed for either eternity or until a conveniently-placed Kagome-Sue could convince him to make a Prince Charming wish on the Jewel]**

“I’m not _ever_ letting you go again, Kags, ‘cause it seems that every time I do, you go into some sort of trouble!” Then, to my surprise – and fierce pleasure, I might add – he deftly kissed me, taking no notice of the others’ hoots and hollers for us to ‘get a room’. **[He would take what he wanted - even if it was a kiss - so that's alrightish. But why would the others be all companionable and easy about it? They'd only just seen that Kagome and he were working together; their history with this dog demon does not make for happy-happy-kissy faces. Just no.]**

I suppose… Maybe we had loved each other from the start, when we met: two completely different people, of two completely different worlds… Yeah… That sounds about right… **[That is one other thing I still enjoy: making some sort of allusion to the title at the end of the fic. When I pull it off right it works; this one, not so much, but the re-write may be able to salvage somethign from this.]**

**[That's it, folks. Hope you had some enjoyment out of reading my old attempts at drama and romance, as well as my recent flood of younger-self-abuse. Have an awesome day! ETA 7/15/2013 by atsuyuri_sama]**

**Author's Note:**

> I can remember being so proud of this - "I can't believe I wrote one and a half pages per chapter! Of wow! I'm made of awesome!" A~nd then, three years later, I couldn't stand it if my chapters were any less than 9 pages long.
> 
> I see this now, and I laugh: I hit the 14 page mark after 8 chapters only through the help of my obnoxious author's notes (which I've left for your pleasure, to make fun of as you see fit). The only thing I've changed is my pen name, just so you aren't confused - otherwise, this is just as it remains on ff.net from my first posting. I hope you had fun reading the fruits of a first-timer's "multi-chapter" fic and accidental Mary-Suing of the main character, plus MST-ish commentary.


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